Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Write like your book is a movie

I've been boggling around in my head this concept to write a book like a movie would play on your TV screen. Even NaNoWriMo sent a message last November to it's writers' advice to write out your book's plan like it's a movie trailer.

When connecting all this and wondering about it constantly as I have, all I needed was proof, someone doing it successfully (maybe unconsciously).

And today...I have found that book!
Ally Condie's Matched series (in particular would be book 2: Crossed) is written like a movie's transition from scene to scene.

You may think this wouldn't turn out so great but these books have turned out to be quite successful! But the way it's written keeps the pages turning, and that I can tell as a writer learning from author's writing, is a way that can get you published if you're doing it right.
Ally Condie continuously writes in sections in her chapters. These sections are shortish scenes where they will cut off when they are done. They're short because it's written like a movie scene!

With Condie's creative story of a Society's complete and totally horrible control over people and the point of view of a teen through it all trying to escape make's this style of writing truly unique.

But you have to be careful when using this idea to write like it's movie scenes. PLEASE USE GOOD FORM OF WRITING THAT YOUR COLLEGE PROFESSORS PROUD!!! Writing these days isn't showing up as good but in my opinion, what people consider good writing has HUGE writing flaws as well. In content writing, writing like a movie is cheap, but it's effective in today's society and it makes good books.

Monday, December 26, 2011

The Hunger games single- Safe and Sound- lyrics

Putting these lyrics on this post because we can always learn from music's words and this is a really good one because the song has so much personal meaning that connects fully to the YA trilogy, The Hunger Games So here's a link to the song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZeY0CwPtLA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

and you can follow along and really understanding the words is what it's all about, including it's relation to the Hunger Games. So here we go:

I remember tears streaming down your face when I said, "I'd never let you go."
When all those shadows almost killed your light.
I remember you said, "don't leave me here alone."
But all that's dead and gone and past tonight...

(CHORUS) Just close your eyes, the sun is going down.
You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now.
In the morning light...you and I'll be safe and sound.

Don't you dare look out your window , darling everything's on fire.
The war outside out door keeps raging on.
Hold on to this lullaby.
Even when music's gone.
Gone.
(CHORUS)
Ooo's ooo's la la (la la) la la (la la) ooh (ooh) ooh (la la's) (la la's)
(slower chorus) Just close your eyes, (you'll be alright.
(harmonized) The morning light...you and I'll be safe and sound.
(ooh's) ooh (wow wow) (ooh's) (ooh's wow wow) (ooh's) ooh (wow wow) (ooh's) ooh (wow wow) (OOH's) OOH (wow wow) OOH OOH (wow) wow.

Pretty good? Did you notice how I included the ooh's and the back up parts? I did this for a reason (not because I didn't know what I was doing [lol]) because everything about a song is important. It's practically another way to read a book (out loud). Swift, singing with the Civil Wars, is telling a story of how it is in Panem for people. But as Hunger Games fans, we know it's more than this. The song brings in all sorts of meanings (like the most popular): Katniss' love for those she loves, how she wants to protect people like Rue, Peeta, Gale, Prim... The feeling in this song really helps you as readers understand what the main character, Katniss Everdeen, has to go through in a dismal a place as Panem.
But the way this song is written is also important. You can learn how to write certain ways through song's like this. You can also think of songs like this that can give you the motivation and determination to write a scene that means more than it's being described. Because words have meaning that can become thousands of numbers! That's why it's really great to get different opinions on ideas and sections in text of what is being portrayed.

I thank Fireside Chat for inspiring me to write this post, for their #39th podcast on "Safe and Sound" really went in-depth on the situation for us fans about the song and how it really is a good choice for the hunger Games movie (companion CD or not).

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Dont Stop Believing

Through my constant research on advice from authors on publishing books has singly been all on the same thing. It must be pretty important to ANY AUTHOR! After going to the Northwest Book Fest in October and talking to children's book authors, such as Howard Shapiro, the advice is wholly "...believe in yourself and your writing and don't EVER stop trying to reach your goals." - Howard Shapiro. Authors can't stop and say anything else is more important!

In school, we (as in the International School of Communications [ISC]) believe to have the right mindset on anything will help you achieve success in anything you do. I can't but not recall this as authors tell me to never give up and believe in what I am writing.

But as we all know, authors and soon to be ones, have to face rejection. "If one publisher rejects you, which many will, just keep moving forward because eventually if you work hard enough you will find someone who believes in you and your writing." -Shapiro

Before I have talked about "What Makes You a Special Writer". The hardest thing to consider ,as a writer hoping to get published, is your creativity. Creativity is being cut in schools all across the country (the arts) but those of us, who will work hard enough, have to be incredibly creative to catch that one publishers eye that believes in you and your book. It's a tough job ahead of us all but we can not give up. But you HAVE to believe in yourself. That perfect "mindset" will help you get there!

If you can't really see this mindset, let me give you an example:
My thoughts: "All right Ashley, this essay can only be great if you work hard enough and actually understand the lessons." (ISC DAILY TO DO:) find the problem, ask the questions, do the research, find the solutions, figure out the improvements, etc. Doing any essay, lab report or any books you plan to write lies wholly on the work you put into it. To be proud of something you must believe you can do it! But you must put in that work ethic and you can practically achieve anything!

"Don't Stop believing! Hold onto that feeling!" This song came to mind on this whole subject and it helps people like me to get into that perfect "mindset".

I hope all of you can achieve this mindset because you can achieve it and I believe in anyone who wants to be published to find some sort of success with this. Remember it has been proven by many authors, like Howard Shapiro, and you can be one too! Please check out Howard Shapiro on Facebook to discover his awesomeness of success as a children's book author here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Howard-Shapiro/296610707017204?ref=ts

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Creating A Facebook Page for your Book!

Around a year ago, i stumbled blindly on an author about to publish her first book, DEMON KISSED. There was an add about liking her Facebook page to get to know the author and the book series before the book would even come out! I was so excited and liked her page without a second thought.
As a supporter or amazing authors and future authors, I found this coincidence to be a super amazing one and automatically wanted to support her I liked her page and have been fallowing her news and achievements of her teen book series and she has been doing REALLY WELL.
The author is H.M.Ward.
She wrote the DEMON KISSED series and she has been quite successful.
I didn't realize how successful till she posted today on her blog: "How I Did Facebook Wrong and Got 43,000 fans- A Writer's Guide To The Social Media"

http://sublimeromantic.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/how-i-did-facebook-wrong-and-got-43000-fans-a-writers-guide-to-social-media/

Wondering how such an author did some seriously creative ways of building a HUGE fan base SUPER DUPER FAST?! Check her out! Even like her own Facebook page:

http://m.facebook.com/DemonKissed?_rdr

Or on her website: http//:www.demonkissed.com

Sunday, November 27, 2011

12 Days of The Hunger Games song lyrics!

(this is the best that I've got and this is just the days. HOPE YOU GET A KICK OUT OF THIS!!!)

On the first day of The Hunger Games, Effie said to me: "Happy Hunger Games!"
On the second day of The Hunger Games, Haymitch said to me: "Keep yourself alive."
On the third day of The Hunger Games, Cinna said to me: "You'll be on fire."
On the fourth day of The Hunger Games, Haymitch said to me: "He wants separate training."
On the fifth day of The Hunger Games, my memory said to me: "Buy with a loaf of bread."
On the sixth day of The Hunger Games, Peeta said to me: "That little girl is watching."
On the seventh day of The Hunger Games, Peeta told the world: "She came with me."
On the eighth day of The Hunger Games, Caesar told them all: "Let the games begin!"
On the ninth day of The Hunger Games, Rue showed me- the Trackerjacker nest.
On the tenth day of The Hunger Games, Rue asked of me: "Sing me to sleep."
On the eleventh day of The Hunger Games, Caesar told us all: "Two of you can win!"
On the twelfth day of the Hunger Games, I had to tell him: "It was all a lie."

Check out this song on www.YouTube.com Hunger Games fans! It's pretty sweet and here's the lyrics so you can sing along!!!

Monday, September 12, 2011

What makes you a special writer?

Had some really concrete things to delve into this past week of school, but before I go into all this REALLY IMPORTANT THINGS THAT A WRITER (OR EVERYONE IN THE WORLD) NEEDS TO KNOW, let me give you a little dish of THE most influential facilitator that anyone could ever have.

His name is Mr. Lefstad and this guy is 100% AWESOME! He has taught me so much so that it has gotten me to this point of being a blogger to help other people young and old to write amazing books of their own. Going through his Physical Science class as a freshmen opened so many things personally, how to learn science with MY own monkey, and about life that I wouldn't feel so confident everyday to live and have a future to make something of myself...Now I've got another chance to be in his class again as a junior and the things he would say in such a stimulating environment...it's just mind-blowing all the things that make sense now...NOW I have to share with you, which is important to not only writers but just the general person off the street, will get you places if you take on your monkey and learn what will be said here. Who are you?What do you stand for? What makes you different?As a person who wants to make it out there or someone who just think about this question and says admittedly to themselves, "I don't know who I am...," you NEED to know WHO YOU ARE! You need to get off your butt and discover who you are because that side of yourself isn't going to come knock on your door and hold your hand. YOU have to do the work to truly figure out who you are because it is WAY more important than anything you could know in the working world and in life. What do you stand for? As a writer do you stand for writing because you love it? (pathetic answer by the way) NO! When your in a job interview (for a publishing house for example) they will ask, "What makes you different?" What are you going to say? How about, (in my case) "I can sell books that will blow teens' minds because I know what they're looking for and what catches their interests." Again, what do you stand for?What makes you different from the other writers out there who want to publish a book just as much as they do? To write an awesome book about vampires and werewolves but doesn't get published and can't understand why. "If two people think alike, one gets fired." -Mr.Lefstad. THIS IS THE SAME CONCEPT!!! What makes Stephanie Meyer, Rick Riordan, Richelle Mead, Scott Westerfeld, etc, different from any awesome writers out there? Meyer created a touching, dedicating, and something DIFFERENT than what publishing houses have seen before. Riordan did something DIFFERENT by creating amazing stories off of his imagination and mixing it with Greek,Roman, Egyptian mythology. Mead may have vampires but she created a system of vampire lore from Russian mythology and created a book series storyline that has NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE. Westerfeld did something different by thinking about what he wanted to change among his young audience and created an amazing series of what beauty really is and the term "ugly". Who are you?What do you stand for?What makes you a special writer?

Saturday, August 27, 2011

The Accomplishments of Rick Riordan

Rick Riordan has created amazing books based off of histories of myths, architecture, ect. You may recognize his most famous series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians. This series in particular was inspired by his skn who has Dyslexia and ADHD. He created stories to tell to his son before bed of Greek myths (because he was learning about the Greeks in class). He told of a young boy who learned he was a demigod and realized his Dyslexia was for reading greek and not english, and ADHD for his battle reflexes in fighting the greek creatures of myths.
My point is that Rick Riordan has made an amazing series off of his inspiration of his skn and off of real history and myths and bringing them forth into modern day.
I believe in my previous post I mentioned that you have to create an amazing story and plot to really get your book published. My example is Rick Riordan. His Percy Jackson became such a hit over the creativity of the series and the plot so incredible... His creation was so good that the fandom brought upon the attention of directors and producers. In February 2009, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Theif, was released on movie screens across the nation.
After compleating the Greek Mythology series of Percy Jackson, Rick Riordan wasn't done with doing more research for a new series. All around the same time, Rick Riordan released to new series; one of Roman Mythology (that continues off from the Percy Jackskn world), and egyptian mythology. When The Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero released, fans died over all this new material of history (thats never been done before) brought on Percy Jackson fans to devour this next set of awesomeness. With the add on of The Kane Cronicles: The Red Pyramid was released, people were just baffled on the creativity and smashing hit of Rick Riordan's creations that the publishing industry really pumped up their standards for authors.
Even after the Twilight series of Stephanie Meyer, authors and writers changed what teens were askkng for. Auhors of today have to do some serious researching for something NEW. Something that will be the new Twilight. Soon (and kinda already) the new Twilight is The Hunger Games. With all the fans of this new series introduced by Suzanne Collins, fans are dieing for the Hunger Games movie to hit screens on March 23rd, 2012. Filming just completed Thursday night and now the first tast of this new Twilight will hit MTV screens this Sunday at the VMAs.
Although Rick Riordan has the amazingness of the Percy Jackson series hitting the movies, he has created a decade of challenge to better author's books.
What authors have to do since Twilight became so big is to RESEARCH! My last post mentioned that you have to have this amazing (not already done) storyline PLUS research for something new. Writers of today have the biggest challenge to do some really amazing geniusness that the competition is getting more tougher and tougher. After Hunger Games gets HUGE, the competition will be tougher than ever.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Chapter Endings are More Important than you Think

One of the biggest problems of today is that people are writing books, they send in the book to get published and their lost on these sea of books that's are never read. Obviously something's wrong with your book but these days people are getting published for their creative stories. But you could have an amazing story but your never published... (unless your Vivian Vande Velde with her book: Book of Mordred[the book's dedication]) The trick about this amazing breakthrough of a publication is how it is "running."
One of the best authors who really gets this theory of mine is L.J. Smith. The perfect example would be her Night World series (I found this really annoying only because for example I would like to go to the bathroom but I can't because L.J. Smith ends chapters so dramatically, so cliffhanger awesomeness) that no matter what, I can't go to the bathroom therefore learning that it is IMPOSSIBLE to take a break from her books when a chapter ends.
Parcially why the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare is so popular is because the author has created an amazing story in every way, shape, or form BUT ends the chapters in a can't-stop-reading moments.
In my previous blog post, I talked about how an outline is basically life or death when it comes to writing amazing books. This principle applies to this theory of amazing chapter endings. When you write you HAVE to have a plan BUT this plan has to be VERY fast. Fast as in you can't allow your readers to want to take a break at the end of a chapter. You have to have this plan where you can't have just a coupple amazing "oooh"'s and "awe"'s, the book has to b e filled with awesomeness back to back.
Just for clarification, your book could have this theory but your story is as lame as what a life of a cow is like.
James Patterson has a similar theory to this chapter ending awesomeness. He writes approximately 500 words per chapter. He does this not only to help younger readers keep reading (which has everything to do with my theory on chapter endings), but to help him as a writer and story creator to keep the pace going back to back.
In book reviews, a person would say that the book was never ending; could never get to sleep because it was to awesome, etc. These are signs that the book is just REALLY awesome.
To try to get your book published at all, you could be the smartest kid in your shook, the writer who's been writing since you could even write, read all the time, etc, you could STILL never get published. I critique writers all the time in daily life and on this blog but these authors I read are truly masterminds. To be called a writer (New York Times Bestseller), you have truly earned the title! You have story creating down and you know all the tricks to create amazing fans through theory's (like my chapter ending theory) and even have your own tricks up your sleeve's.
Being an author...it's an art. It is way more than just the writing but so many things that you MUST have all of them. I truly don't know what they'll say exactly, but if you asked a New York Times Bestselling author if their job is EVER easy, they will say "NO" only because there are so many authors ou there, so many creative idea's already thought up that you have to create something new in your own way and mKe it a major hit. You have to be in sinc with your audience (my case, young adults), what they want to read, the new fandom etc. It is one tricky business and these people have it all figured out.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

The most important: an OUTLINE

Last year, I was one of the young authors who entered James Patterson's Maximum Ride book: Fang - The Missing Chapter. One of the requirements was to include a proper outline. At the age of 15 and in the middle of the 9th grade I had no idea what an outline even was. Of course I watched James Patterson's video of the rules of this fabulous contest. When he got to mentioning the outline he kept ranting how it was ABSOLUTELY important and he wouldn't be so successful with out it.

He would have to plan each chapter in continuous action pactness. I still didn't understand what an outline was so I looked it up than later on asked for my mom's help. She explained that you go by roman numerals of the main event than you list under it in lowercase letters of what would be included.

Later in that school year I actually had to do an outline fora final and I was totally skilled to do it unlike the other freshman.

My grade actually learned about and how to an outline this past school year as sophomores. But it wasn't till quite recently in my book writing that I actually learned the importance of an outline. I(and my classmates)thought an outline was a comets waest of time and totally useless. I know some of you are agreeing with this notion but you are WRONG!

I used an outline, recently, to plan an ENTIRE trilogy! And I have NEVER done something like this!My stories in the past have all been failures/ incomplete failures. I realized that these stories were failures because they had no PLAN! These stories werent going anywhere! They just turned out as blagh...because they had no PLAN!

An outline is THE plan. You can have a sheer proof plan where you purposely have exciting-nonboring-funny-etc plan of your book/series.

When I used this amazing method, I generalized what I wanted done in the series. When I actually went to write, I realized I was doing what James Patterson was trying to teach us young writers: outline your story in a fast pace so the reader never gets bored or want to put down he book! His method makes authors so successful in heir careers!

"I've always known how I wanted to end the Vampire Academy series."- Richelle Mead. I have continuously wondered how and why she did this. I guessed that she did this so that she could create a kick-ass series in-between her beginning and her ending.

It was that but after learning the significant importance of an outline in writing a book series, I realized that she always knew how she would end the series from the very beginning because she planed(made an outline) of he entire 6 book series when she came up with the idea of Vampire Academy(and she did not come up with the vampire part because of twight, she said she got the vampires: moroi,dhampirs, strigoi; from Russian myhology. This creating process was during the time Stephanie Meyer was creating Twilight).

James Patterson was CORRECT! Outlines are he KEY to writing a successful book/series. No author has been successful without an outline(I don't actually know this for certain but it's definately true in the truth in this subject).

For proof of this method of success, look up on YouTube.com of Richelle Mead's 12 minute video of herself as a successful author. Look for a scene where she's in her office and she is standing infront of a whiteboard with post-it notes on it that are connected together by lines. This is her planning in diagram form of an outline.
Till next time, keep writing and reading books as much as you can! Successful books are successful for many important reasons...you just have to find them.
;)

Sunday, March 6, 2011

The Specialty of Richelle Mead's writing

Her writing, I can personally say, is a lot like mine in the way her writing naturally flows. The writing has a plan, obviously, but it's a writing plan that goes off what ever comes to mind while sticking to the author's plan. It truely is amazing writing. It keeps you going like you really don't want to stop but your at the end of the book before you know it. The first two books were too short for this author's level of writing. She needs to write big books like her last 3 Vampire Academy books. Her writing gives you so many clues that I find the reader may not catch because it's so discreet that you smack your forhead later when she releases her surprises. That is deffinately the best thing about Richelle Meads writing and why she is so successful. I highly recommend looking into this style of writing by reading (or rereading) the Vampire Academy book series:
Vampire Academy
Frostbite
Shadow Kiss
Blook Promise
Spirit Bound
Last Sacrifice.
Last note about Richelle Meads writing; her writing is amazing but it also takes a successful book to possess a good story line, conflict that stretches throughout the series (not just in one book), awesom characters; (i.e. Christian Ozera, Dimitri & Rose, and side characters like Avery Lazar, Sydney, Robert Doru etc), also wanted to add character importance; i.e. Vasilisa Dragomir. In the Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead sets up a character that is important in one way but is really her grand fanally to the series in another way. Richelle Mead knew how she would end her series and she really hides it well through out her series. Thats A HUGE writing turner there. Absolutely brilliant and fits perfectly with her style of writing.
Another thing to add is something that Richelle Mead wrote in a blog post a while abo. Her and her friends went to Forks, Washington for Twilight. She regrets not making her Vampire Academy be in a real place. Just something to keep in mind if you plan to write a book one day, (I know I have :)).
P.S.: I know of an author I met at my local library once, who had all the right ways and idea's for what a book should have. But this writer had something crucial missing, good writing. As a writer, her writing bored me so much I still haven't finished her book.
- your future author, Ashley Bileau

My first blog post :)

Hey writers alike, THIS IS MY FIRST BLOG POST EVER!!!!!!!!Just thought to share with you my life so far in my writing career (the. career of school all the way up to current sophomore in high school). When I was in kindergarden, I had this dream of writing a book sooooo good that it would become an awesom movie. After that dream, I would get little journals and write books in them. Here's a list of silly books I have written (theres too many so of course Im not mentioning all of them) :- a journal of short stories of me, my two best friends- "Us Swimming" a story of me and my sister as shapeshifters into mermaids- "The Butterfly Girls"- "The Butterfly Girls 2" these two books were about metiphorically my parents getting back together after getting divorced ( I was only in 2nd grade) - "Ethia, the queen warrior"- "The princess soccer player" These were books I wrote between the ages 5-9Im one of the best in my class currently. Because of my passion for writting, I have been the best writter in elementary school. Of course Ive had my ups and downs in school but I have never stopped writting. Currently, Im becoming more serious with my writting. Ive been quitting on books Ive written since 5th grade because my books have been missing something crucial. Only recently ( like this weekend) did I finally realize what that was. Ill tell you what that is in my next post! ;) -